So a friend of mine, Idah, requested a red rose bouquet with pearls for her wedding this May. This time, I used artificial red velvet roses (mcm cupcake pulak) and I bought the pearls at Golden Dragon at People Park Centre, thanks to the tip from the DIY chifu Pretty Orkid! Tahu je tau lobang-lobang nak beli all these craft materials heh.

Okay, back to the story. I was ready to complete the classic bouquet look with a simplistic off-white satin material when Idah told me she wanted black ribbon on the off-white base on the stalk. Talk about colour clash! I was like, “Eh diek ni betul ke tak ni. Gothic per”. Sakit mataku memandang, as I was paying for the black ribbon. But I told myself, the pengantin will get what she wants if it makes her happy. So I added the black ribbon with a french braid pattern I learnt here, and VOILA! Works pulak!! I swear Idah has great taste! So here it is…

I found it really interesting how black somehow works with the off-white to compliment the blood red roses. Lesson learnt: step out of your comfort zone. Sometimes being BOLD is the way to go!

It’s been slightly more than a month now, and finally I’ve sit myself down to craft an engagement post. Guess the reason why I’ve been digressing is that by writing out this post, it would mean acknowledging that the event is over and most importantly, the planning has ended 😦 (can’t imagine how I would be able to write out my wedding post in 21 months!!!)

On 2 February 2013, H and I got engaged in a simple ceremony with attendance of our close friends and family (200 pax thanks to my mom’s careful discretion). I had a few months to plan it, so I’m thankful that I managed to get the vendors that I wanted:

Charged with an hourly rate which was reasonable for the quality he produced! His style is neat, the pictures are always sharp and crisp. And he’s a really nice guy, always cracking jokes and mingling with my relatives. AND he took the liberty to send my CD straight to my doorstep once he was done editing. Love his personal touch 🙂

I’m currently studying, so I didn’t have time to DIY though I reeeaaally wanted to. But Kak Intan’s really nice! Her rates are surprisingly affordable and she gave me a few extra dulangs for free! And charged me the lowest band for her dulang range. These gestures, though however little, really makes an impact sey :’)

As highly recommended by a coursemate of mine, Matiin (Kassim Baba is his Dad). Apart from offering “harga memberz”, his dad threw in lots of complimentary items!! Like chair covers, table skirtings, extra kueh and even these little chalkboards plus a big chalkboard that showed the menu for decor. On top of that, I kept on receiving rave reviews from friends and family about the “power” briyani dham and the yummy traditional kuihs. Uncle Kassim was also very generous with his helpings so much so that my mom has plenty of servings to pack for our relatives. For that, I am thankful.

Most of the gifts were contributions from my aunts. I did make my own cupcakes!! And ordered some macaroons from Ola Lola (angan-angan nak buat tower tapi takpe lahhh).

The chalkboard menu and signages by Uncle Kassim I mentioned earlier:

And I love how the food table/ skirtings complimented the whole colour scheme.

Trays from him:

However, I did recall the guy side reaching 10 minutes ahead of schedule, and I was still fixing my veil and touching up my eyelashes (i got ready in a separate room). Because of the rush, Chase couldn’t take pictures of my prep. Sigh. And when I went out to sit in my room, I was taken aback by the 100 odd people crammed into my home. Panic jap you, kena jingkit pass makcik-makcik, tunduk sana-tunduk sini, and at last sampai my seat.

Then I panicked another time, amidst the prayers, when I saw one of the tray items wasn’t. supposed. to. be. there.

I made these little babies for the dessert buffet table. I mean, tak obvious ke colour scheme tak match!? Mata terbeliak sekejap, luckily I managed to pull through a telepathic message to Umairah, who immediately hid the pink cupcakes and the extra tray right before the exchange. Phew.

Then, it was time to put on my bling!!! Many many months of waiting okay. His mom put it on for me, and you can see in the picture below how my “tak maintain” face couldn’t hide the excitement:

I swear Chase is so cute! He wanted to take picture of the ring, but he asked my mom’s permission first. Kenapa comel nah?? And I love his attention to details, and he does it without even me noticing!

Then, it was mingling and picture time! It was nice to see two families interacting, and getting to know each other; one of the most fundamental reasons for a Malay engagement in the first place.

And my maid of honour, Ili, dengan muka-muka sekali, enthusiastically took up the role as the final hadang. Belum lagi kahwin, da macam gini. The real thing how?? (But I secretly geli hati lah actually, hehe.)

In addition to my kecoh entourage, my parents also wanted to have a go at their funny bone! This is their “HEEEEPPPP, cannot touch!!” pose. AMACIAM PASS TAK?

And of course, last but not least, some (not so) alone time with the fiance. Disclaimer: halal-distance ensured. Belakang camera, makcik-makcik scan je. Hahaha.

(Kenapa kocek penuh, bang? Nak kawin broooo, mesti ah kena penuh.)

On a final note, my deepest gratitude goes out to the dear souls who went all out to make this ceremony happen. I feel truly blessed. Insyaallah, with God’s grace, our journey towards matrimony will be a smooth and pleasant one. Amin.